In the shadows
by AspiringWriterGirl
Summary: Izzy couldn't resist investigating when he received a letter requesting his presence at a manor. It all seemed a little too planned for his liking, especially when some familiar faces were there too, each one with an identical letter. A blood curdling death occurs not long after he arrives, but will Izzy find the killer before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – No ownage of the characters

A/N: Okay, so this is for the Digimon Fanfiction Challenges – The Novel with Prompts Challenge, here's the first one

Chapter 01 – I'm here

"Izzy, there's someone here to see you. She says it's urgent. Something about never seeing it coming." One of Izzy's coworkers peered into his office. "If you could get her number, I would be grateful."

Izzy leant back in his chair, "You wish. Go on, send her in." It had been a long day for him, and with many sleepless nights, not even a coffee could keep him awake. He could feel his eyes closing as the client stepped into his office. For the summer, he had become a private inspector due to his computer and investigative skills. To him, it was just taking up time, and his summer.

"Izzy. You look awful."

That was Mimi, the direct and blunt type whose instinct was to say before thinking.

"Mimi?" Izzy yelped, unable to comply with the identity of his client. He leapt up out his chair and closed the door. "You do know I'm not meant to fix your cell phone, or tablet problems here, right?"

"Izzy, I didn't know what to do. Everything is just so muddled up. I don't know who else to talk to. Izzy, I think I'm being watched. I can feel it."

Izzy couldn't tell if this was one of Mimi's plans to get more attention, or whether it was a cover up for something else. Instead, he pulled out the chair from in front of his desk for her to sit down in.

"What makes you say that, Mimi?" Izzy asked, opening the top drawer of his desk. All that he needed was beautifully positioned with precision, but there was something out of place, a black envelope could be seen poking out from under the PDA he made his notes on.

Izzy had received this black envelope just under a week ago, with all the work he was doing, he hadn't had time to open to. The last thing he wanted to do was open it in front of Mimi, he owed her the decency to listen to what she had to say.

"Izzy?" Mimi looked across the desk at her old classmate with shining brown eyes. "You know, ever since the digital gates closed, I've had the feeling like I'm being watched. It's so annoying because- because Palmon isn't here to protect me anymore. And then everyone's doing their own thing. And then I got this black envelope. And then I felt like I was being followed. Izzy, I dint know what to do."

Through all of Mimi's ramblings, Izzy picked up on two words, black envelope. He opened his drawer again and pulled out the envelope, "Was it like this, Mimi?" he asked her, holding it out for her to see properly.

"Yeah... That's the one." Mimi told the envelope in her hands and observed the swirly gold lettering of 'Izzy Izumi' on the front, but when she turned it over to see the possible letter inside. Mimi raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Izzy, you might not know this, but traditionally, envelopes are designed to be opened."

Izzy swiped the envelope back and tore into it. He squinted a little as he pulled out a black square card with silver letters.

Mimi was becoming all the more irritated at the lack of speed, and attention, so she began to drum her newly manicured nails on the desk as Izzy read the invitation.

"You can't be serious, can you?" Izzy leant back in his chair.

"Izzy, you've got one. I've got one. Even Tai, Matt, Sora and Joe have one. It's like the digidestined are being reunited one last time, but I'm not so sure what to think of it. None of the others have organized it, so who did?"

"Interesting," Izzy murmured, jotting an additional note down. "Mimi, I have to go to this- this event. I think you should too." Izzy plucked his navy blazer off the coat stand in the corner. "Mimi, I honestly don't know what you're so worried about. No one's watching you. Years ago, I would have told you that it was some conspiracy, or even aliens, but we're adults now. This is probably some light hearted surprise party that Kari's been planning for ages now."

Mimi shuffled out the door ahead of Izzy who was eager to get packing. The invitation invited him to a manor on a country road and he couldn't miss the opportunity to explore one of these antique like houses.

That night, Izzy drove in the typical pouring rain towards the manor. He sat quietly, listening to the squeak of the wipers pointlessly scraping at the windscreen.

"No doubt this rain will just further aid Mimi's conspiracy that this is some elaborate trap set up by the evil and dark Digimon," Izzy murmured to himself. He thought that Mimi was just overreacting, that this was just a surprise gathering. It had to be.

Izzy had to suddenly slam the breaks when a doe bounded out in front of him. At first, it stopped and stared right back at him as he froze up. Izzy could see his breath beginning to fog up the driver side window, this was reasonable, bearing in mind the heater was broken, and had been since Izzy bought the car of a family friend.

"Go on, move," Izzy urged the doe, jumping up and down in his seat. Instead, he pressed the horn which startled the doe. It sped off, leaping over a short fence. He continued driving along the road, consulting the map he had printed off earlier that evening. "Right turn here?" he questioned the turning, which went into a wooded area. "What's the worst that could go wrong?"

Turning right, he booted up the fog lights, illuminating the path ahead. He felt himself leaning forwards, peering through the rain to see the path ahead. Large trees grew on either side of the path, branching out into one another, creating an arch overhead. The path was rougher than the last one, the car dropped and rocked whenever it met an unexpected dip in it.

"You were not meant for this path, were you Saki?" Izzy muttered as Saki's engine whistled and shuddered. Saki was the name that Izzy had given to his car when he first got her.

The car was struggling more than ever, Izzy was noticing it more predominantly now. The last thing he wanted was to break down on the path, he hoped that there was not long to go now.

"No Saki, no, no, no," Izzy cursed as the car came to a grinding halt. "Come on, come on." Izzy turned the key back and forth in the ignition to try and start the car up again. He pulled his phone out the depths of his jean pocket. "No signal, well that figures."

Izzy reached across the car, opening the glove compartment where a selection of random belongings almost fell out. Picking out a torch, Izzy opened up the boot of the car and grabbed his sports bag.

"Here we go." Izzy locked the car and used the pitiful light from the torch to guide his path. Waving it to either side of the path, he surveyed the area constantly. As absurd as it sounds, Izzy felt like he was in a horror movie, that something was about to jump out at him. Or someone.

The rain was beginning to soak through his allegedly waterproof jacket, it was proving to look like Izzy would have been safer sleeping in the car. The wind began to blow through the trees, making soaked leaves to slap Izzy in the face. He wiped his face, probably smearing something over it in the process.

A car horn made Izzy leapt to the side of the road, he turned to see a jeep like car that was clearly more build for this kind of path gliding effortlessly towards him. Izzy prayed that it would be one of the others.

"Come on Izzy, get in!" he heard Sora call out to him from the passenger seat. Matt was also in the car driving.

"What are you waiting for Izzy? Hand delivered message from Gennai?" Matt laughed.

Izzy smiled. "I sure am glad you guys showed up. I don't know what I was going to do."

"You were going to walk in the rain, Izzy," Sora replied, smiling gently at him. "Come on! The others will be waiting."

Izzy sheepishly got into the back of the jeep, worried about dripping onto the seats of Matt's car. Tai was also in the back too.

"Hey Tai," Izzy nodded, acknowledging Tai who returned with a jerk of his head. Izzy couldn't help but feel that there was some kind of tension in the air. It was probably just the suspense behind the request of their presence at the manor. "Anyone know what's going on?"

"We know as much as you do Izzy. Just that we all got invitations to the manor."

"Who is we?" Izzy asked, pulling out his notebook which had been sealed away safely in a freezer bag.

"Here's the detective…" Tai groaned, tossing his head back and hitting the headrest.

"Me, you, Matt and Tai, Mimi, Joe, and I think T.K and Kari too, right guys?" Sora said, looking at the older brothers for some form of confirmation.

"Yeah, I think they got up there earlier with Joe to check the place out," Matt replied, slowly pulling up at an old manor house.

With the rain still hammering the car, Sora ran to the door whilst Matt grabbed their bags. Tai eventually left and Izzy waited for the right moment to go, so that he could spend minimal time in the rain. The other three waited until the door slowly opened. That's when Izzy ran into the house, swiftly taking off his jacket and hanging it up to dry. He watched Sora disappear into a room to the left.

"I heard the door open!" Mimi yelped.

Izzy then heard Kari's calming voice. "Mimi, it's okay. It's probably just the others."

"Either that, or she imagined it," T.K taunted Mimi.

"T.K!" Kari shouted. "Hey Izzy, there's some tea or coffee in the teapot if you'd like. It might still be hot. See Mimi, it's just Izzy."

"Oh, okay. Just Izzy. But this place still gives me the creeps Kari. Are you sure we really have to stay here?" There was a pause. "Kari? T.K? Sora?"

Izzy walked into the room.

"Mimi, you saw the video, remember?" Kari said with her arm around Mimi comfortingly. "If we stay here the weekend, there's a chance that whoever invited us all here can give us the power to see our partners again… Don't you think that would be amazing? To see Palmon again?"

Mimi nodded slowly, putting her hand on Kari's. "You're right Kari. Ever since the digital gates started closing, it hasn't been the same- but if staying here is what it takes to see Palmon, then I can do it!"

"That's the way to think about it, Mimi." Sora smiled calmly. "Here, have a drink."

After a hot cup of tea, everyone went to bed, one by one. Each person with their own room, a cupboard room, but still a room. Izzy was getting changed into his pyjamas, just putting on his shirt when he heard a terrifying scream.

"Mimi!" he snapped, running down the corridors, he could hear her sobbing in the bathroom. He burst in and saw Mimi cowering on the floor by the toilet.

Tears were streaming down her face and she looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Mimi, it's okay, Mimi. I'm here."

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Wooo, creepy stereotypical everything here! :L This was actually really fun to do, let me know what you think! I'd love to hear!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – No ownage of the characters

A/N: The Novels with Prompt Challenge, second chapter

NegaiKoumi : Hi! Thanks for you review, umm. I guess Izzy would be about twenty two, which would make (approximately) Joe – 25; Tai, Sora and Matt – 23; Mimi – 22; T.K and Kari - 19

Chapter 02 – Paint

_If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint._

_Edward Hopper_

Izzy crouched down beside Mimi. "What happened? Mimi, it's okay, I'm here."

Her thin arms flung themselves around Izzy's neck, pulling him close enough to whisper in his ear. "Someone's out to get me Izzy. Someone else is in the house. I went to go and moisturise. And. And I was looking in the mirror, when all of a sudden, the window flew right open. Really it did, Izzy. Oh, I'm so scared!" Mimi threw herself at Izzy.

"What happened next, Mimi?" Izzy asked, gently pushing her away, he wanted to just get to the bottom of this quickly. It seemed like there was more to their visit to the manor, than just to see their Digimon again.

"Well, I went to close the window, when someone- or, or something- threw themselves in the window, and, and. And that's when I fell back and screamed."

At first, Izzy thought nothing of it. He thought this was Mimi's way of getting closer to him, which was ridiculous. Mimi was- the type of girl that you wouldn't expect to be going for Izzy. From the first glance, she's the girl that is following the rock star, or the footballer.

He was about to ask her what happened to the figure

"We heard a scream. Mimi, are you okay?" Sora burst into the bathroom and bent down to Mimi. "Are you hurt?"

Mimi shook her head. "Sora, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up, that's all."

Izzy watched as Sora picked Mimi off the floor, dragging her away down the staircase, most likely for a hot beverage to calm Mimi's nerves. Izzy rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger, pondering over what Mimi had just told him.

"What's on your mind, Izzy?" Kari asked, peering around the door to look at him with brown eyes, full of worry and mystery.

"Oh, it's nothing. Never mind," Izzy murmured, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

The next morning, there was tension in the air at breakfast. Izzy sat at the wooden table with his laptop and a bowl of cereal to one side, wishing he had brought his internet hub because of the lack of internet in the manor.

He noticed Mimi sitting on the sofa between Sora and Tai, her head buried in her hands and her shoulders shaking a little. Clearly, she hadn't recovered from the serious scare last night. Matt and Joe stood by the large window, mumbling between one another. T.K and Kari were sitting at opposite ends of the room, which only made Izzy more suspicious.

Izzy picked up his laptop and carried it out the room. Upstairs, in his room, he gazed out the tiny window. He could see fields for miles, much unlike the city he had spent his childhood in. Seeing the trees wave in the wind, Izzy pushed open the window. Closing his eyes, he tried to get his head around why he was at the manor. From what he knew, none of the others had planned anything. Each one of them had received a letter in the same envelope and silvery writing.

He wondered if one of the others was planning something, whether it was good or bad, he had no idea. Maybe they would try and keep him there.

"There's only one way to find out," he mumbled to himself. He strode down the stairs passing T.K going up, clutching onto a box that had been taped shut. "T.K." Izzy nodded to the younger blonde before he reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the front door. The stones almost scrunched under foot as he walked towards the end of the drive, passing Matt's jeep. "Saki." Izzy was instantly reminded of the need to go and source out his car, wherever it may be. He turned back to the house and called out to Matt, asking him to come with him to go to town to fill up a petrol can for his car.

"Sure thing, Izzy. Let me just get the keys." Matt remerged from the house, zipping up a sleeveless jumper. "Am I supposed to head back the way that we came here?"

"Well, wherever you think there is a town really. Hopefully they'll have a gas station."

"Let's get going, I don't let leaving S- the girls all by themselves."

"Matt… The others are there too. Tai, Joe, even your brother."

"Yeah, but something fishy is going on." Matt turned the key in the ignition. The jeep gurgled and shuddered in an attempt to start, but it was useless. "Dammit!" Matt cursed under his breath, getting out the car and popping the bonnet open.

A puff of smoke spewed out in his face causing him to cough violently and stagger away from the jeep.

"What's wrong with it, Matt?" Izzy asked, shutting the passenger side door.

"I don't know. There's something wrong with the engine. Maybe I can call someone to come and look at it. Sorry Izzy, guess your car will have to wait." Matt tilted his head to the side apologetically. "Sorry mate."

"Don't worry about it Matt, I'm sure that I can ask to borrow Joe's car." Izzy went back inside to do exactly that.

"What is your problem, Izzy Izumi!?" Mimi screamed ferociously from up the stairs. "You think this is funny?!"

Sora dashed into Izzy before going upstairs. A little dazed, Izzy followed her, hoping to find out what had set off Mimi and made her so absolutely livid.

"Mimi, what the heck is going on?" Izzy halted in the doorway of hers and Sora's room when he saw the problem.

Written in a scarlet paint, emblazoned on the wall was the words.

I LOVE YOU MIMI, WELL BE TOGETHER

Izzy's hand cupped over his mouth, holding back the laughter which would probably only infuriate Mimi further. "Mimi, I didn't do this!" he protested.

"Oh really. Well if it wasn't you, then who was it?" Mimi growled as Sora held her back. The last thing the ginger haired girl wanted was for a fight to break out amongst the group, they were all meant to be friends. "See you aren't denying it!"

Izzy was tempted to point out that he had just denied it, but there was a bigger problem with the paint. "Erm, Mimi…" He picked up a marker pen that was on top of the bedside table, and added to the statement on the wall. "There, much better," he declared, walking away, much to Mimi's frustration and Sora's disappointment.

"Izzy!" Sora shouted. "What did you do that for?"

"Well, it's basic punctuation. Well- is well. We apostrophe el-el is we'll. Come on guys…" Izzy sighed.

"Well,you'll be the one that will help us clean it up. There's got to be some paint we can use to cover it up."

Joe looked into the girl's room to see what all the shouting was about. "Wow Izzy, you could have just said it if you wanted." He folded his arms, leaning against the door. "In the words of some painter my dad obsesses over, if you could say it in words, there would be no reason for paint."

"Joe, now is not the time!" Mimi snapped, pushing past Joe. "Gee, this holiday is really turning into a right freak show. I can't believe that one of you would be stupid enough to do this." Mimi carried on ranting down the corridor when Kari came up the stairs with a box in her arms.

Izzy stepped forwards and took the box from Kari. "It's okay Izzy." Kari took the box back and carried on into her room. "Did you guys say you needed paint? I found this box downstairs in the porch. It's got some paint cans and rollers in it."

On hearing Kari sounding so innocent, Izzy began to think about whether Kari had something to do with the paint. But Izzy knew that Kari had a teenage crush on T.K, it was obvious. Was Kari trying to plan something?

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Paint prompt used, two prompts down, eight more left Which one will I use next?**


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